Railway-switch-operating mechanism.



No. 629,4!4. Patented My 25, I899. J. E. voums & s. manna".

RAILWAY SWITCH'OPERATING MECHANISM.

(Application Bled Sept. 10, 1898.)

(No Model.)

Ewen tom) gipgd points, adapted to connectin either the main UNITEDSTAT-Es PATE T FFICE.

RAlLWAY-S WlTCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,414, dated July 25,1899.

Application filed September 10, 1898. Serial No. 690,624. (No model.)

To whom, it may concern.-

- Be it known that we, JONATHAN E. YOUNG, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and GEORGE MORDEN, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain,residing at Oonneaut, in the county of Ashtabula and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railway- Switch-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Our invention relates to mechanism wherebya railway-switch maybe thrownby the motorman of a moving car approaching the switch, so that withoutstopping the car the motorman may guide it in the desired direction.

The present invention is an improvement on that shown in Patent No.602,249, granted to us April 12, 1898; and it consists of sucharrangements at the track that the switchpoint may be thrown by the carbefore it has approached close enough to the switch to obstruct themotormans view thereof, so that before running onto the switch he maysee that it is properly set.

Theinvention may also be described as consisting in the construction andcombination of parts hereinafter specified, and pointed out definitelyin the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of a switch endowed with ourimproved operating mechanism. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the sameon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and shows in addition thereto a portion of thefront elevation of an approaching car. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinalsection on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a vertical longitudinalsection through the oscillating member which shifts the switch-points,being on line 4 4. of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of theT-shaped tripping-pins carried by the mechanism at the track and adaptedto be engaged by the tripping-bar on the car.

Referring now to the parts by letters, A A represent the main track, B Ba siding or branch, and O O the usual pivoted switchor branch line.

Fig. 1 shows at the right a stone pavement which is broken away toreveal the switching mechanism, and such paving may be employed, ifdesired, without interfering with our mechanism.

The switch-points are connected together by a yoke D, havingintermediate of its ends a bow part (1 of preferably a semicircularform. Pivoted on a vertical journal e, which may be a stud projectingupward from a plate E, secured to the ties near the yoke-bar, is anoscillating member F, made, preferably, in the form of a disk and soplaced as to be embraced by the bowed part of the yoke. A tongue at ispreferably secured to the yoke and rests on the upperside of the disk F,thus holding the yoke in place. The disk being pivoted between itscenter and periphery, it is apparent that if it is turned about itspivot it will operate to shift the yoke-bar, and hence the switchpoints, one way or the other.

Located between the rails a suitable distance in advance of theswitch-points is the horizontal lever G, which is pivoted at its centeron a pivot h, which may be a stud projecting upward from a plate H,secured to two of the ties. A pair of links J J connect this lever oneither side of its pivot with the oscillating member or disk F. Theresult of this construction is that if either side of the lever G ismoved a short distance longitudinally of the track the disk 'F isshifted in one direction or the other about its pivot, and the yoke-barD is moved transversely to the track and shifts the switch-points.

K represents a suitable plate which stands, preferably, flush with theroad-bed over the lever G. In this plate, at the points which are overthe ends of the lever, are the depressions or recesses 70, and in thebase of these depressions are slots 10. A T-shaped tripping-pin 0, suchas is shown inFig. 5, stands in each of the depressions kandhas itsshank pass through the slotand also through a square hole in the end ofthe lever G and is locked to that lever by a suitable linchpin, whichpasses through the lower end of the tripping-pin. A spring L surroundseach of these tripping-pins and bears at its lower end against the leverG and its upper end against the head of the tripping-pin, and thusnormally presses the pin upward as far as the linchpin at the bottom ofthe pin 0 allows. The tripping-pins, which are held from turning bytheir square shanks, are thus normally in a position to be engaged bythe operating-bar on the car; but they are also so supported that shoulda wagon-wheel pass over them they will be depressed into the recess inthe cover-plate K, and thus will in no manner obstruct the roadwayfor-vehicles.

In Figs. 2 and 3, M represents a cross-bar carried by the truck of acar. Secured to this cross-bar are the two brackets N, and journaled ineach of these brackets is the operating or tripping bar P. Surroundingeach bar is a spring Q, which bears at its lower end against the lowerarm n of the bracket N and at its upper end against a pin p, projectingthrough the bar P. The spring thus operates to normally elevate the barP. Below each 4 bracket N is an extension of the bar P, (designated p.)This extension is pivoted to the bar P, but is held normally in avertical position by the' spring R, secured at one end to the extensionand at the other to the fender S, carried by the truck. The pivot of theextension and the spring R allow the extension to bend longitudinally ofthe car when desired.

T represents a treadle or foot-lever, in the form of a bell-crank,horizontally journaled on the car-body and extending above the floor ofthe platform of the car, and thus in convenient position to be engagedby the motormans foot. The lower end of this treadle or bell-crank leveris connected by a link U to a bell-crank V, which is pivoted on thecross-bar M of the truck and has its other arm engaging the tripping barP. Thus when the treadle or foot-lever is depressed the link U is drawnforward, the forward arm of the bell-crank V moves downward, and thewhole tripping-bar P is depressed, and thus comes into proper positionto engage the corresponding tripping-pin O. The dotted lines in Fig. 3indicate the lower end of the tripping-bar extension in this depressedposition. The upper arm n of the bracket N may have an enlarged holethrough which the tripping-bar passes, whereby the latter may shift alittle as it is moved downward, when its upper end moves forward alittle with the movement of the bell-crank lever, or the connection withthe bell-crank lever may be somewhat loose, as desired.

The operation of our improved mechanism is as follows: Ordinarily thetripping-bars P are drawn up by their springs out of the way and themechanism remains idle. Suppose the car is approaching from the right,the switch set as in Fig. l, and the motorman wishes to run onto thesiding. He simply depresses with his foot the right-hand treadle T, thusforcing down that bar P, and the extension of this bar engages with thecorresponding tripping-pin O and moves the lever forward a shortdistance and shifts the switchpoints to connect in the siding. As soonas the left-hand switch-point impinges against the left-hand rail themovement of the lever G stops and the extension of the tripping-bar Pbends backward, as allowed by its spring R, and passes over thetripping-pin 0. If the switch is set right in the first place, themotorman does not depress either treadle and passes over the switch asusual.

Having described our invention, we claim- 1. In a switch-operatingmechanism, the combination, with a pair of switch-tongues, of a yoke-barconnecting the same, said bar being bowed intermediate of its ends, apivotecl oscillating member extending within said bow and adapted in itsoscillations to move the yoke-bar in one direction or the other, apivoted lever G located in advance of the switch-points, and a pair oflinks J J connecting the lever on either side of its pivot with theoscillating member, substantially as described.

2. In a switch-operating mechanism, in combination, a lever G suitablypivoted on a vertical pivot substantially at its center, a plate K abovesaid lever, a pair of depressions 7c in said plate, a slot k in the baseof each depression, a tripping-pin extending through said slot andconnecting at its lower end with said lever, and springs normallypressing said pins above the plane of the upper surface of the plate Kbut allowing them to be depressed into the recesses in that plate, andmechanism connecting said lever with a suitable switch-point whereby themovement of the lever may operate to shift the switch, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a switch-operating mechanism, the combination, with a track and aswitch-point therefor, of a lever Gpivoted at substantially its centeron a vertical pivot below the plane of the track, a stationary plate Kabove said lever, a pair of depressions 7c in said plate over the endsof the lever, a slot is in the base of each depression, a pair ofT-shaped pins having square shanks, each shank extending through one ofthe slots and having its lower end in a squarehole in said lever, aspring surrounding each shank and bearing at its lower end against thelever and at its upper end against the T-head of the pin and thusoperating to normally press the pins above the upper surface of theplate K but allowing said pins to be depressed into the recesses, andmechanism connecting said lever G with the switch-point whereby themovement of the lever may operate the switch, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures in the presence oftwo witnesses.

JONATHAN E. YOUNG. GEORGE MORDEN. IVitnesses:

WALLACE C. CHADMAN, E. B. CHADMAN.

